Now booking in select markets

Low appraisal? We pay the gap.

Book a scan and an Appraisal Backstop Pro visits your listing. We certify the home's value within 24 hours and stand behind our number — if the appraisal comes in below the certified value, we pay the difference at closing, up to $100,000.

See how it works ↓
1 in 16 appraisals comes in below the agreed price Median shortfall: $13,000 Certified value in 24 hours

Built by the team behind 2.6 million home appraisals · Scans by background-checked Appraisal Backstop Pros

What happens when the appraisal comes in low
Agreed price$500,000
Appraised value$488,000 · $12,000 short
With AppraisalBackstopgap paid at closing
Gap paid — the deal closes at $500,000
The backstop behind your listing

One low appraisal can blow up a deal. The backstop keeps everyone at the table.

For buyers
  • Make a stronger offerCompete confidently — even soften the appraisal contingency — knowing a low appraisal won't sink you.
  • Protect your cash to closeA low appraisal punches a five-figure hole in your funds days before closing. We fill it, up to your protection amount.
  • Keep your rate lock and your timelineNo emergency renegotiation, no scrambling for cash, no starting the search over.
For sellers
  • Your price holdsA low appraisal is the buyer's #1 renegotiation lever. The backstop takes it off the table.
  • Fewer busted dealsDeals die when the appraisal misses. Backed deals close — at the number you said yes to.
  • Attract stronger offersBuyers bid harder on a home whose value is backed by up to $25,000 of protection.
How it works

Scan. Quote. Done!

You book the visit online — we handle everything else. Certified value within 24 hours of the scan.

1

Scan

An Appraisal Backstop Pro comes to the home — a ~30-minute interior scan, scheduled around your listing prep. You keep the floor plan and listing content.

2

Quote

Within 24 hours you get the certified value — the number we stand behind — plus a guarantee quote priced to your home: $25,000 to $100,000 of appraisal protection.

3

Done!

Attach the guarantee and the listing carries it. If the appraisal comes in below the certified value, we pay the difference at closing — automatically, as a credit in escrow.

Pricing & typical protection

One flat fee for the scan. The guarantee is optional, quoted after.

The scan pays for itself in listing content alone — the certified value and guarantee quote come with it.

Appraisal Backstop Scan
Booked by the listing agent — whoever benefits can reimburse
  • Appraisal Backstop Pro interior visit (~30 min)
  • Certified value in 24 hours — the number we stand behind
  • Personalized guarantee quote for the listing
  • Floor plan + listing content, yours to keep
$149 / listing
Standard Backstop
All eligible homes
from $199 / transaction
Unique quote per property — exact after your scan
Protection up to $25,000
  • Full protection at the certified value
  • Pays from the first dollar of the gap
  • Paid as an escrow credit at closing
Platinum Backstop
Homes $500K+
from $479 / transaction
Unique quote per property — exact after your scan
Protection up to $50,000
  • Everything in Standard
  • Double the Standard cushion
  • Most popular $500K–$1M
Max Backstop
Homes $750K+
from $939 / transaction
Individually priced from your scan
Protection up to $100,000
  • Everything in Platinum
  • Our largest cushion — built for big gaps
  • Priced to your property and market

What the backstop pays

TriggerAppraisal below the certified value
PayoutThe shortfall, up to $25,000 / $50,000 / $100,000
PricingUnique quote per property, set by our risk models
Your share of the gap$0 — we pay from the first dollar
Typical shortfall when it happens$13,000 (median)
How it's paidEscrow credit at closing
Eligible homesSingle-family & townhomes, financed purchases

A typical gap payment

Agreed price$500,000
Appraised value$488,000
Shortfall−$12,000
We pay at closing+$12,000 ✓

Paid in full under any tier — the median shortfall fits inside the Standard protection amount.

Questions

Fair questions, straight answers.

What exactly do I get for the scan fee?

An Appraisal Backstop Pro visits the home for a ~30-minute interior scan. Within 24 hours you get the certified value (the number we stand behind), a personalized guarantee quote, and the floor plan + listing content — yours to keep and publish, whether or not you add the guarantee.

Is this insurance?

No. AppraisalBackstop is a guarantee we stand behind on our own certified value — not an insurance policy. We set the number, and we back its accuracy with our own money. Full program terms are published before your market activates.

How is the guarantee priced?

Every property gets its own quote. Protection levels are standard — $25,000, $50,000, or $100,000 — but the price is set by our risk models from the scan, the certified value's confidence, your market, and the home itself. Two identical protection amounts on two different homes can cost different amounts, because the risk is different.

What triggers a gap payment?

One thing: the lender's appraisal comes in below your certified value. That's it — no fine-print gymnastics. The appraisal report itself is all you need to request your gap payment, and it lands as a credit in escrow at closing.

What if the certified value is lower than the asking price?

It can be — our number is honest, which is exactly why we can stand behind it. You always control your price. The backstop holds at the certified value, so everyone at the table knows there's a floor under the deal. The number we publish is the number we pay on.

Who pays — the agent, the seller, or the buyer?

Listing agents usually book the scan (many treat it like professional photography — a listing expense that wins the listing). The guarantee is optional and quoted after the scan; the seller or buyer often picks that up, since they're the ones protected.

When am I charged?

Your card is charged only when your visit is confirmed on the schedule. Cancel free anytime before your Appraisal Backstop Pro arrives. The guarantee, if you add it later, is billed separately when it attaches.

Which homes qualify?

Single-family homes and townhomes on financed purchases, in our active markets. We'll tell you instantly at booking — before you pay anything.

Your market is opening. Book your first scan.

Lock founding pricing on your next listing. Scheduled around your timeline — cancel free before the visit.